Warmth (Dr Thunderland Jr)
by Lafayette.C
Summary: Something for the doctor. (I hope I got the personality down.. /sweats) (P.S: The Nakhtuva is made-up and is not actually in the manga/anime.)


It was a cool night, and as per usual, the sky was lit by nothing but the artificial sun from Akatsuki. Othello stared at the shimmering ball of light that seemed so close, yet so far away from the edge of the cliff she was sitting on somewhere in Yuusari, as her hand gently caressed the head of the small, dead animal that laid limp by her side. Othello didn't know what kind of animal it was, but it resembled a cat with the bushy tail of a fox, and the horns of a goat.

The poor thing was tormented by some local kids that thought that torturing animals was a funny thing to do, and Othello arrived just as it was hanging onto what was left of its breath. The black-eyed girl hoped that the three brats would learn their lesson from the hard bonks to their head from her, and the swift lecture she delivered before tending to the injured animal. She only managed to give it some food and water before it died; nuzzling Othello's palm just before it exhaled its last breath. A few more minutes passed before Othello decided that it was time she bury the dead animal.

She was about to stand up when she smelt something peculiar in the air. She couldn't quite describe the smell, but if she were to put it simply, it smelled like death. "Othello Mauve." Her heart skipped a beat as she turned around when her name was called by a familiar voice, and was face to face with the infamous doctor of Amberground: Dr. Thunderland Jr.

Or more widely known as, "Corpse Doctor." Both nodded at each other in a gesture of acknowledgement of each other's presence, before his eye landed on the small animal by her feet. Othello's eyes followed his, and she asked him, "Are you going to take it? For dissection?"

"I would like to do so very much, if you have no plans for it."

Othello shook her head and picked up the little thing, handing it over to the doctor. The doctor accepted the it, before putting it in the slingbag he brought. The doctor nodded and tipped the hat he wore, before turning around to walk away. Othello stared at his retreating back, letting go of the breath that she unconsciously held the moment the person she admired talked to her. While other people would avoid him, Othello on the other hand was strangely drawn to the enigmatic doctor but preferred to just admire him from afar.

She stared on until the doctor was a mere dot in her view before she decided to get back to her delivery work; Master Lloyd would have her head if he knew she was slacking.

"Thank you very much!"

Tears fell instantly the moment the young girl received the letter from her father. Othello shook her head, and smiled as she turned to walk away. It always gave her a sense of satisfaction when she saw the happiness that shone in people's eyes when they received letters containing the hearts of those who wrote them. "That Lag kid really rubbed off on me huh," the lavendar-haired girl chuckled to herself. She rummaged through her bag and realized that she had only one delivery left for the day.

"To Dr. Thunderland Jr." She read outloud; shrugging without a care as she changed her course to go to the Yuusari Central's Beehive. Even though in reality her heart was slightly picking up speed in its beating rhythm. She wondered if the doctor had dissected the little thing? Othello shuddered at the thought of entering the doctor's laboratory, which was nicknamed the Hell's Kitchen by many of the younger Letter Bees. Sooner than she'd like to admit, she had arrived at the massive double doors of the lab. She expected to see dead stuffs hanging around the lab, or even littering the floor as the smell of decay dominated the whole place. However, she was shocked, to say the least, when the lab was nothing like she had imagined the moment she pushed open the door.

It was clean and pristine, although there was the lingering smell of death. Things were not scattered around and were organized, truth to be told, save for the doctor's work desk which was littered with papers. Other than that, not a single thing was out of place. The lab certainly didn't live up to it's nickname. Another thing caught Othello's eyes as she dared herself to venture inside. By the window, there was a ledge, and on that ledge was placed many, many hand-made wooden carvings of tombstones. Her eyes widened in realization; all those carvings were made by the doctor for each animal he dissected in their memory. There was a recent looking one by the edge of the ledge, and Othello picked it up to see the words 'Mauve's Nakhtuva'.

"I do not permit entry to people without business in my lab." Othello wheeled around to see the doctor standing directly behind her; his voice ringing clearly in the silent lab. The lavendar-haired girl flushed as she hurriedly replaced the wooden carving and took out the letter addressed to him.

"I actually have a delivery for you, Doctor. And I'm sorry for disturbing your things." She bowed as she thrusted the letter into Dr. Thunderland's hands. He blinked with his visible eye and took the letter before carelessly dumping it on the table.

"It's alright. You can leave now," the man waved his hand to dismiss her after he stamped her delivery card.

"Wait!" He stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at Othello with a questioning eye. Othello averted her stare as she asked, "I wanted to know if you found anything after dissecting the little animal; the Nakhtuva, I mean."

"... I found that it carried no dangerous diseases that could threaten us. It died because it had suffered severe internal injuries, and judging from the state of its body, it haven't had any food for quite a while."

"I-I see... That's a relief then, that it didn't carry anything with it." The doctor watched the girl as she kept glancing at the wooden carvings he made; a soft smile on her slightly reddened face.

"...Would you like to take the Nakhtuva's one back home?" He offered, walking towards the ledge to take the item in question; surprising not only Othello, but even himself with the act of kindness. Never had he done this before for people who were barely an acquaintance to him.

Othello jumped and grabbed the doctor's gloved hand, shaking her head, "N-no! You don't have to give it to me. Besides," she looked at the carvings again and smiled. "I think it's better if it stays here; it wouldn't be lonely here, surrounded by its friends." The doctor's cheeks were painted with the softest shade of pink as he stared at the hand that was holding his without even flinching in disgust like any other people would've react. Even through his thick glove, he could feel the warmth emanating from her hand.

Othello, not realizing that the doctor was frozen by her touch, retracted her hand without a care and turned to the ledge. She put her hands together and bowed her head slightly, offering a small prayer for the dead animals. A sense of dejá vu struck Thunderland seeing Othello in that posture, remembering that Gauche Suede once did the same thing years ago. He almost expected amber eyes to look up at him once Othello had finished, but instead he found himself staring into metallic black eyes. "Is there something the matter, doctor?" She asked, a quizzical look pasted on her face. Thunderland shook his head as he snapped himself out of his reverie. Rearranging the strap of her letter-bag on her shoulder, Othello nodded, "Is that so... If there's nothing else, I shall excuse myself." Turning to leave, Othello turned at the last moment to look at the doctor, to which he responded with a questioning look of his own.

Turning pink, Othello fidgeted ever so slightly as she twiddled her fingers, "If it's not troubling you or taking too much time out of your schedule, will you join me for a cup of tea or coffee?" This stumped Thunderland.

"Why?"

Stuttering through her words, Othello stared right into the doctor's eyes and softly said, "I-I just thought... I'd like to ge-get to know you better, doctor... I'd understand though, if you don't want to." A sting of hurt pierced her chest when the doctor said nothing and merely turned to go deeper back into his laboratory, and with her shoulders slightly slumped, Othello once again turned to leave. She was surprised though when a gloved hand opened the door to the laboratory before she did, and she looked to the side to see the young doctor looking back at her. She noted that he donned a coat, and came to a conclusion that he merely went to fetch his coat, and that he didn't reject her offer.

"Where to?" Unable to help the burst of happiness in her chest, Othello grinned and grabbed Thunderland Jr.'s hand.

"I'll lead the way!" Some kind of warmth blossomed in the doctor's chest and face as well as his hand as he let himself being dragged by the girl that he now found interesting and intriguing, and he responded by lightly squeezing back the hand that held his. Othello noticed, smiled simply, and together they walked to their destination, both relishing the shared warmth from their entwined hands.


End file.
